Universal tufting machine



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T TUANE V5 United States Patent Office .2,695,580 Patented Nov. 30, 1954 UNIVERSAL TUFTING MACHINE Thomas J. Settineri, Sr., New York, N. Y., assignor to Shapiro & Son Curtain Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 9, 1951, Serial No. 241,097 Claims. (Cl. 112-7 9) This invention relates to improvements in universal tufting machines and more particularly to machines for applying the tuft in the manufacture of bed spreads, housecoats, rugs and similar articles.

One object of the present invention is the provision of improved means for actuating the thread control arm with the control arm being positively driven for its entire cycle whereby to provide for the accurate positioning of the control arm during the operation of the machine.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of improved driving means and mechanism from the main drive shaft to the power driven elements in a universal tufting machine whereby to provide for the generally improved operation of said machine.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of improved mechanism in which cloth can be easily tufted with intricate patterns and designs such as continuous loops, spirals, crenellations, and other geometrical figures in a rapid, accurate and efficient manner.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

ln the drawings:

Fig. l is a front view of the tufting machine embodying the improvements of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan View shown partly in section of the actuating mechanism for the yarn guide lever;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig l; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

The subect matter of this application is an improvement of Patent No. 2,337,529 on a Universal Tufting Machine issued December 2l, 1943 to Paul Tanis et al. and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

As clearly shown and ldescribed in the above referred to patent and with reference to Fig. l of the drawings of this application, the tufting machine comprises a rotatable spindle 14 in vertical alignment with a simultaneously rotatable, coacting and complementary tufting mechanism 16, the rotations thereof controllable by the manually operated handle H through miter gears arranged to simultaneously rotate shaft 18. which drives` spindle 14 through the miter gear 20, and shaft 22, which through spur gears 24 and 26 drives the tufting mechanism 16. A constant speed main drive shaft 28 has secured thereto at the tufting head 12, cam 30 for vertical actuation of the cloth feed foot 32 and cloth holddown nipple 34, and cam 36 for horizontal actuation of the cloth feed foot 32. It is to be understood that the above described structure is the same as the structure shown and described in Patent No. 2,337,529 and forms no part of the present invention.

On rotation of the shaft 38 the needle bar spindle 40 will be vertically actuated bv the crank 42. the rotation of the shaft38 also being effective to oscillate the yarn guide lever or thread control arm 44. A motor (not shown) drives belt 46 to rotate the pulley 48, said pulley being fixed to the main drive shaft 28 therebv rotating said main drive shaft as clearly shown in Fig. l. It will be understood that such rotation of the main drive shaft 28 actuates the cloth feed foot 32, cloth hold-down nipple 34,v needle bar spindle 40, thread control arm 44,

the looper (not shown) and knife lution of the pulley 48 operating one complete cycle.

Handle H when rotated or oscillated will simultaneously and with the same angularity and direction, oscillate or rotate spindle 14, cloth hold-down nipple 34, needle bar spindle 40, comprising needle bar B and needle N, and tufting mechanism 16, which includes the looper, knife 50 and turntable 52. By way of example a oneeighth or 45 clockwise rotation of the handle H moves the aforesaid elements through a 45 rotation in a clockwise direction, the velocity ratio of handle H, tufting mechanism 16 and spindle 14 being l to l.. The operation of the machine from the operators point of view and the structural details of the aforenoted elements have been fully disclosed in Patent No. 2,337,529 and it is not essential to the present invention to repeat such operation and the description of the structural details ere.

The main drive shaft 28 has suitably secured thereto asby'means of the key 56 a miter gear 54, said gear 54 meshing with the miter gear 58, which is keyed to the shaft by means of the key 62. The shaft 60 is journalled for rotation in the bracket 64 and is provided with a second miter gear 66 keyed thereto by means of the key 68, miter gears 58 and 66 being substantially identical and iixed to the shaft 60 in opposing relation as shown in Fig. l. Shaft 38 is provided with a miter gear 70 fixed thereto by means of the key 72, said gear 70 being complementary to the gear 66 and in meshing relation therewith. Shaft 38 is suitably supported at one end by means of the bracket 74, said bracket being secured to the frame 76 of the tufting machine in Vany suitable manner. Near the end of shaft 38, remote from the gear 70, a cam cylinder 78 is suitably secured thereto, said cam cylinder being slotted at 80 for a purpose to be described in detail hereinafter. The yarn guide lever 44 is pivotally mounted at one end to the bracket 82 by means of the pivot pin 84 and is provided at its opposite end with an eye 86 for the reception of yarn Y. Secured to the yarn guide lever 44 intermediate the ends thereof and nearer to the pivotally mounted end is a cam follower element 88 which is adapted to ride in the slot 80 of the cam cylinder 78, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be readily apparent from the above that on the rotation of the main drive shaft 28 the shaft 38 will be correspondingly rotated and the cam cylinder 78 and cam follower element 88 will cooperate to positively oscillate the yarn guide lever 44 through its full cycle of operation. Thus the yarn guide lever will be positively driven in both directions thereby eliminating any lag for its full range of operation. The yarn Y cooperates with the yarn guide lever 44 in the same manner as disclosed in Patent No. 2,337,529. It will be readily apparent that the above described improved means for actuating the thread control arm or yarn guide lever provides for such control arm or lever to be positively driven for its entire cycle so as to provide for the accurate positioning of said arm or lever during the full range of operation of the machine.

Vertically positioned shaft 90 is provided with a miter gear 92 keyed to said shaft at 94, gear 92 being in mesh with gear 54 which is driven by the main drive shaft 28. At the opposite end of shaft 90 there is provided a miter gear 96 keyed to said shaft at 98, gears 92 and 96 being in opposed relation. A horizontally positioned shaft 100 is provided with miter gear 102 at one end, said gear being keyed to shaft 100 at 104 and so arranged as to be in mesh with gear 96, as clearly shown in Fig. l. A support bracket 106 is provided to support shaft 100 at one end, said shaft being journalled in the bearing portion 108 of bracket 106. Horizontallv positioned shaft 100 is provided with an element 110 which is eccentrically mounted with respect to said shaft and which is positioned at the end of said shaft opposite to the gear 102. The eccentrically mounted element 110 is adapted to be operatively associated with ,the actuating plate 112, which will be described in detail below. The actuating plate 112 is pivotally mounted to the frame structure 114 by means of the pivot pin 116 and is of generally U-shaped configuration with the bight portion being pivotally 50, one turn or revothese elements through mounted as described above. The actuating plate 112 is provided with an elongated slot 118, which is adapted for the reception of the eccentrically mounted element 110, and a projection 120 in spaced relation. Vertically mounted shaft 122, which Vis adapted to vertically vreciprocate and to oscillate 4the looper and knife 50, is `provided with a shifting collar 124 fixed @to its lower end portion. The shifting collar 12'4- comprises a pair-of 4peripheral side flanges `126 defining the peripheral slot 128 therebetween, said slot being adapted for the reception of the projection 120V of the plate :112. Shaft 100 is supported at its end portion adjacent to the plate 112 by means of the support bracket 130, shaft 100 'being journalled in the bearing portion 132 of :said bracket. lt 'is to be understood that the shaft 122 and its fixed :shifting collar 124 which are adapted .to oscillate the Vlooper and knife 50 are structurally identica] to the arrangement Ashown in Patent No. 2,337,529. Thus, on the rotation of kthe main drive shaft 28, shafts 90 vand 100 will be concomitantly rotated thereby rotating the eccentrically mounted element 110 vwhich `rides 1in the `slot 118 of the plate 112. The plate '112 being pivotally mounted and having a projection 120 which rides in the slot 128 of the collar 124 'will be effective to vertically reciprocate the shaft 122, which in turn will oscillate the .looper .and knife in a vertical plane. It will therefore be seen that the Vabove described structure provides for improved driving means and mechanism from the main drive yshaft 28 to the various power driven elements to provide for the .generally improved operation of the'tufting machine 10. The above described mechanism provides for the tufting of cloth with intricate patterns and designs in a very rapid, accurate and efcient manner.

Certain features shown or described but not claimed herein are yclaimed in my divisional application Serial No. 393,034, led November 17, 1953, for Universal Tufting Machines.

While l have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

l. In a tufting machine having a cloth feeding foot, a nipple for temporarily holding-down the cloth, a needle, means for delivering yarn to said needle, a looper, a knife adjacent to and cooperating with said looper, a constantvspeed drive for actuating said cloth feeding foot, nipple, needle, looper and knife, a rotatable turntable rotatable independently of said constant speed drive, and a yarn guiding lever having an eye for the passage of the yarn, means for actuating said guiding lever,`said means comprising a rotatable power driven 'shaft having a slotted cam cylinder Ysecured thereto and a cam follower element secured to said lever and adapted to ride in said slot of said cam cylinder whereby on the rotation of said shaft said lever will be positively oscillated through its full cycle of operation.

2'. In a tufting machine having a cloth feeding foot, a nipple for temporarily holding vdown the cloth, a needle, means delivering yarn to said needle, a looper, a knife adjacent to and cooperating with said looper, .a constant speed drive for actuating said cloth feeding foot, nipple, needle, looper and knife, and a rotatable turntable rotatable independently of said constant speed drive, a generally vertically mounted yarn guiding lever being pivotally mounted at one end and having an eye for the passage of the yarn at the other end, and means for actuating said guiding lever, said means comprising a shaft having a slotted cam cylinder secured thereto Vand rotatable Atherewith and a -cam follower element secured to said lever and adapted to ride in said slot of said cam cylinder whereby-on the rotation of said shaft said lever will be positively oscillated through its full cycle of operation.

3. In a tufting machine having a cloth feeding foot, a nipple for temporarily holding down the cloth, a needle, means delivering yarn to said needle, a looper, a knife adjacent to and cooperating with said looper, a constant speed drive for actuating said cloth feeding foot, nipple, needle, looper and knife, and a rotatable turntable rotatable independently of said constant speed drive, a generally vertically mounted yarn Vguiding lever being pivotally mounted at one end and having an eye'for the passage of the yarn at the other end, and means for actuating said guiding lever, said means comprising a shaft having a slotted cam cylinder secured thereto and a cam follower element secured to said lever and adapted to ride .in said slot of said cam cylinder whereby on the rotation of said shaft said lever will be positively oscillated through vits full cycle of operation, said cam follower element being secured to said lever intermediate the .extremities thereof and nearer to said pivotally mounted end.

4, .In a tufting machine having a cloth feeding foot, a nipple for temporarily holding down the cloth, a needle, means for delivering yarn to said needle, a looper, a knife adjacent to and cooperating with said looper, a constant speed drive for actuating said cloth feeding foot, nipple, needle, looper and knife, Va rotatable turntable rotatable independently of said constant speed drive, a yarn guiding lever having an eyefor the passage of the yarn, and means to oscillate said looper and knife in a vertical plane, mea-ns for actuating said guiding lever, said means comprising a shaft having a slotted cam cylinder secured thereto and a cam follower element secured to said lever and adapted to ride in said slot of said cam cylinder whereby on the rotation of said shaft said lever will be positively oscillated through its full cycle of operation.

5. In a tufting machine having La cloth feeding foot, a nipple for temporarily holding down the cloth, a needle, means for delivering yarn to said needle, a looper, a knife adjacent to and cooperating with said looper, a constant speed drive for actuating said cloth feeding foot, nipple, needle, looper and knife, a rotatable turntable rotatable independently of said constant speed drive, and a yarn guiding lever having an eye for the passage of. the yarn, means for actuating said guiding lever, said means `comprising a rotatable `power driven shaft having cam means secured thereto and rotatable there -with and complementary cam `means secured directly to said lever, whereby on the rotation of said shaft said lever will be positively actuated through its full cy-cle of operation, said yarn guiding lever being disposed in close proximity to said power driven shaft transversely thereof and said cam means and complementary cam means being disposed for direct operative interengagement whereby to provide for said positive actuation of said lever.

References Citedin the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 297,057 Bertrand Apr. 15, 1884 1,772.993 Grutter Aug. 12, 1930 2,337,529 Tanis et al Dec. 21, 1943 2,423,605 McCutchen July 8, 1947 

